Editor’s note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade honors English class, taught by Tanya Busailah.
My name is Beth Adams, and I am a sophomore at Sheridan High School.
The most fun I have ever experienced was when I went to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour last November. I have always been a huge fan of Taylor Swift, so it was very exciting that she was coming to Indianapolis for this huge event.
Beth Adams and her sister had the time of their lives during one of Taylor Swift’s concerts last fall in Indianapolis. (Photo provided by Beth Adams)
I never expected that I would be able to go, but a week before the concert my sister surprised me with tickets for the two of us. It did not feel real at all!
We went on the first night she was in town, which was Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. We had an E-learning day, so I had all afternoon to get ready and get to Lucas Oil Stadium without rushing. Since we got the tickets only the week before, we did not have enough time to plan outfits, but I was wearing a white dress, black Converse hightops, the cardigan that accompanies her most recent album, and a white bow in my hair.
A tradition that Swifties started for the Eras Tour was to make friendship bracelets with song titles or lyrics to trade with each other. Of course, my sister and I had a fun time making these bracelets and using them to accessorize our outfits.
When we finally got into Lucas Oil Stadium, we saw so many girls looking great in their costumes and everyone was so friendly with each other. There were lots of bracelets being traded, smiles shared, and compliments being given.
When we got to our seats, we realized how great our view of the stage was. We were on the floor! We were in row nine, which is so close! It was amazing. So, we settled in and took pictures, traded bracelets, and talked to the people we were sitting by.
Then it was time for the opener to come out.
The opener was Gracie Abrams, who is a wonderful artist, and it was such a great time. I did not know all the songs she sang but it was still very enjoyable. Then we waited around 30 minutes for Taylor to come out. My heart dropped; I was shaking. It was such a crazy experience. I’m so surprised that I did not start crying. She was so close! Our view was outstanding.
With the Eras Tour, she plays a few songs from all 11 of her albums with two surprise acoustic songs that are different for each show. She also has different outfits for each album with a few variations of each outfit.
Her first album she plays is Lover. She wore a sparkly bodysuit and sparkly high boots. My favorite part of Lover was yelling the bridge of “Cruel Summer” which is a sort of iconic tradition of the tour.
The next album was Fearless where she wore a sparkly dress with tassels. My favorite part was when she played the song “Fearless” and she was super close to our section.
The next album she played was Red, and part of it she wore a T-shirt and shorts and the “22” hat that she gave to a little kid in the audience. Later she wore a red and black bodysuit. Then she puts on a long jacket to perform “All Too Well” (Ten-Minute Version), which was my favorite part of this section.
Next is Speak Now, but the only song she performed was “Enchanted” in a pink sparkly full-length ball gown. The next Era she did was Reputation, which was so much fun. She was wearing a sparkly black and gold snake bodysuit, and my favorite part was when she performed “Don’t Blame Me” because it is so iconic and the vocals are insane.
One of my favorite Eras, Folklore and Evermore, came after and she wore a red flowy dress. Two very special parts in this section was when she performed “Champagne Problems” on the piano and afterwards we gave her a three-minute ovation of just clapping and cheering for her. Then she performed “Marjorie” which is a song about her grandmother who passed away and we shine our phone flashlights.
The next segment is 1989 and she wore a super cute sparkly pink skirt and tank top set. My favorite part is probably when she performed “Style” or “Blank Space.” Next up is The Tortured Poets Department set, and the choreography and all of it is so much fun. She wore a white dress then changed into a two-piece set with a jacket. My favorite part is when she performs the “Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” because the choreography is so powerful.
Afterwards she played the acoustic surprise set; we got “The Albatross” mashed with “Holy Ground” on the guitar and “Exile” mashed with “Cold as You” on the piano, which was so wonderful and such a pleasant surprise.
The final set of the night is for Midnights. The outfits for this album included a T-shirt dress with a jacket, later without the jacket, and a sparkly dark blue bodysuit. This set she was having technical difficulties, so she had to have her tech people put batteries in her wireless and at some points her vocals were off. At the end she performs “Karma.”
She introduced her entire crew and they did a final bow. The lights came on, and my sister and I just hung out until most of the people had filed into the lobby. We picked up confetti as keepsakes and traded more bracelets on our way out. Our walk back to the car was the safest I ever have and probably ever will feel walking in Indianapolis at night because we were walking in a group of Swifties.
This night just showed me how important music and community is and I hope everyone gets to experience something this fun at least once in their lifetime.